My garden seed saving hack that helps my budget

I always bought new packets for my veggie patch each season. A neighbor showed me how to collect and dry seeds from my own plants, so I don't have to buy them now. It saves me a good chunk of cash every spring.

4 comments

4 Comments

drew_patel1mo ago

My buddy Tom tried seed saving last year after his tomato plants went wild. He let the best fruits fully ripen on the vine, then scooped out the seeds to dry on a paper plate. Now he has enough seeds for this whole season, and he even shared some with our community garden. It cut his gardening costs in half, which really helped his budget.

wren_mitchell22d ago

What about saving seeds from beans or peas? Those are the easiest by far. You just let the pods dry brown right on the plant, then shell them out. They store for years in a jar and don't need any special drying steps.

xena5821mo ago

Tom's story got our garden club to try a seed exchange. We now have a FREE library box that's always stocked with local seeds.

matthew8781mo ago

Heard some gardeners say pepper seeds work even better than tomatoes for saving, since they dry so easily on the windowsill. I read you just shake them out from a fully colored pepper onto a paper towel. Once they're bone dry, you can fold the towel up and store the whole thing in an envelope until spring. Seems pretty foolproof lol.